Eternity
by murmuring'.breeze
Summary: The thoughts of the red-headed Rose, stranded with her Jack. And a decision that can keep them together forever.


**.:Eternity:.**

A/N: This little ficlet was inspired by watching the "Titanic" in a drama class with a sub. But it's really old. I randomly edited a few things. I watched "Atonement" not too long ago, and I thought that it might be incorporated? Make the story even sadder? Ah well. That's all.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the little thoughts that whisk through my mind.

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It was so... cold. My breath caught in my chest and every time I exhaled, a great cloud of air would escape my lips. I could feel the icicles in my hair, and my teeth were chattering clumsily together. Why did this happen?

I squeeze Jack's hand with all the strength I have, which isn't much. Oh Jack, it's too cold to speak. My lungs hurt. I cannot feel my toes and my limbs are bruised. Oh Jack, our hands are just about frozen together. I would have squealed at how romantic that is, but my voice seems to have died away. Now my darling Jack is angling his head at me, from the frigid water. He gives me a wink and suddenly everything is okay.

Whenever Jack's there, everything's okay. But my heart still hurts so, seeing him shiver while holding my hand.

And yet in these circumstances, I feel so much love for him. We're stuck in the middle of the Arctic, stranded, and Jack is in the water; sacrificing himself for me. Just so that I can be slightly comfortable. My poor darling, he's worse off than me, he's almost completely submerged in the freezing water.

I don't know how he does it, act so calm with all the panic around us.

But it's alright, we're alive and we're going to be rescued. And Jack and I are going to go back home and I'm going to marry him. And everything will be perfect. Nothing else can possibly go wrong. I will make things right with mother and I will no longer be courted by strangers.

My God, I've met the most fantastic man. And even though this feeling is based on one night and one trip, I know I've never felt so in love.

I will see mother soon and she will find me a decent bride's dress. My family shall have to deal with me making my own choices. I can already smell the bouquet of flowers that I shall carry as I walk down the aisle. Just as I had been doing not long ago, down the staircase. And Jack had been there, awaiting me. We had locked eyes, and I had felt my heart soar.

All my dreams will be fulfilled as soon as we're rescued. I will be the happiest woman alive, if I am not already.

I can already see our children, some with my eyes and some with Jack's. There will be a little girl, and two boys I think. And Jack, his arms will be around my waist whenever we'll be together. We will be a house full of love, and no amount of time will ever change that. I will grow old with this man, this man that has saved me from another.

I let loose a shiver that ripples down my body.

Good Lord, this dress isn't doing me any good at all. I cling to Jack's hand for reassurance and close my eyes. I feel so tired and cold. Perhaps I'll warm up if I just close my eyes...

Oh but...I am so afraid...how can I sleep when death's shadow is all around us?

I have so much to look forwards to now! I must stay awake; I cannot succumb to this drowsiness...

I clench my free hand into a fist and realize with a start, that I cannot feel any pain. No... Lord save me and my darling... Spare us...

With watery eyes I look around. Not too far from us, I notice a familiar face.

I think it's that nice man I spoke with at dinner. Dear Lord, he looks dreadful. But then I suppose we all do.

I turn my freezing face back to Jack. He's turned into a pale hue of blue. I throw myself towards him, rocking my makeshift life raft. His eyes widen at this, and he weakly squeezes my fingers. I try to tell him that I am afraid, that I need him to save my life again. But instead, tears burst from my eyes.

Why did all of this happen? Did the children and the kind mothers deserve to have such a fright?

Jack tries to move his lips several times, succeeding on the fifth try, according to my numb brain. He hoarsely whispers, "Hold on."

As my tears sting my eyes and freeze upon my face, and as my world seems to falter, I look intently into his face. He stares into mine; his eyes burning with a fire that we could use in our present predicament. I'm aware that my eyes are red and my face equally messy. I lower my gaze with an empty feeling and then he collides with me, using the energy that he should be conserving.

It's a kiss just like the one we shared upon the bow of the ship. A kiss that will haunt me forever in my dreams, a kiss that I cannot (speaking bashfully) get enough of.

When he releases me, I am once more fixed with his penetrating gaze. I exhale a warm breath of air and lower my forehead to his. He is mine forever more, that is clear. He doesn't care that I look like a complete wretch, or that we are abandoned. I'm sure that I will never doubt him again. I love him.

Suddenly I feel something bump against the wood I lie on.

Looking down, I see an object that looks strangely like...

With a gasp, I realize it's the deceased body of one the waiters that had served me earlier. With horror, I tighten my hold on Jack's hand. He looks at the figure with sombre eyes, perhaps realizing too that he may be wrong. But I wasn't supposed to doubt him! We will go home! We will not perish in the middle of nowhere!

And yet my heart hurts with a piercing pain as I take in the scene around me. People are clutching at pieces of debris to escape the waters; they are murmuring prayers to the Lord. Some simply bob up and down in the swelling waters with their flotation devices, curled up in a desperate attempt to keep warm. Then I see others, and they no longer hold the fire of life in them.

Yet further on, I detect a group of people fighting over a piece of metal. It's only wide enough to accommodate one person on top of it, and yet they all throw their fists.

Not far behind them was the _Titanic,_ its lights still glowing as it continued its angled sinking.

I shut my eyes to the turmoil and push away the tears.

It surely won't be long before I begin to weep again at the disastrous sight around Jack and I. Surely it's the end of the world? And everyone is weeping for our dwindling existence? I hope that the boats have made it to safety. Even though they've left so many behind to die. They're souless, almost. Saving their own skin only to leave others with a watery grave.

Yet my conscience reminds me, I am not sure that I would not have done the same. Taken my Jack and run away.

I hear a shuddered gasp as someone takes their last breath and regret my evil thought. No, I could never let all these lives pass if it were up to me.

Has God forsaken all of us? Has He not heard the hundreds and hundreds of prayers that have been whispered? He has sent no Moses. Nothing is being done to spare us.

I lie my head down and banish my unhappy thoughts, if only for a while.

I begin to hum a song that I remember from my childhood that would be sung to me whenever I was afraid. I would run from my room, afraid of the monsters underneath my bed. Then I would be cuddled and consoled with the simple tune. I have never felt so frightened, and Jack is here to console me. So the melody escapes my lips before I even realize it.

It was an ironic thing to be softly singing in the midst of this chaos, but Jack appreciated it. It also infused me with a sense of warmth.

I reached the last verse and turned my head to face Jack. He was watching me distantly and his eyes lit up at connecting with my gaze.

I smiled and Jack mirrored my action. It was enough to almost stop my heart, but instead my eyes closed for a nap to deal with my fatigue.

I woke later to discover the sound of... silence. The lapping of the waves against my "boat" was all I could hear.

I looked up into the night sky, the vast expanse littered with stars.

The beauty is lost on me as soon as my memories flood back to me. I whip my head to the right where Jack should be.

My heartbeat slows as I realize he is still beside me.

I smile as I see that he has fallen asleep as well. I gently nudge his hand that I'm still holding, only to receive no response.

So he is a heavy sleeper is he now? I take his shoulder, shake it and whisper, "Jack, Jack, wake up."

I still receive no acknowledgement and then I hear a sound. If my eyes don't deceive me, then I see a light coming from the west end of my vision.

Has a boat come back for us? Oh Jack, my dear sleepyhead. We will have plenty of time to sleep after this. Will you just wake and confirm my hallucinations?

A light flashes ahead and I realize that we're saved.

Closer now, I can hear shouts calling for survivors. But are there any? I hear nothing, none of the frantic splashes of earlier.

I give up my attempts at gentleness and roughly shake Jack saying, "Jack come now! We've made it! I held on for you dear, wake up!"

I am only answered with his lack of movement. Desperate now, I reveal his neck and feel for his pulse. There is no steady beat underneath my fingers.

I scream, and no sound escapes me. I'm left with expressing my anguish by releasing my breath in a chaotic cloud of air.

I kiss his lips vigorously and whisper his name over and over again. I've bruised my lips now, Jack.

You can be saved. Come, we'll call that boat over to help you. I'll save your life this time, come now.

I scream for the roaming boat, but they keep going. I search around and find a whistle on my life preserver. I load all of my hysteric air into it and it faithfully lets out a giant sound, finally alerting those on the boat.

They reach us agonizingly slowly, and I am pulled aboard. I flail about trying to show them Jack so that he may be revived.

All I receive are piteous glances, and then I am wrapped in a blanket. We set off, and Jack is left holding onto a lonely raft. His hand is fixed in our last touch, holding my hand that is no longer in his. He is dead, and now alone.

My Jack!

I scream and tear the blanket from my body with a furious swipe. I look at the people in the tiny vessel; they all look as if they have someone to go back to. Well, so do I.

I gaze at them with an imploring look, one that asks them for forgiveness. A young man rises and says to me, "My God, please don't. I can help you through this."

Turning away from him, I smile and jump.

The frigid waters submerge me, and I feel the air leave my lungs in a flurry of bubbles. I pop back to the surface thanks to my preserver, and the sea propels me back to my Jack.

I shed my preserver as I reach him and his cold body. I look upon his face and see that his smile has stayed permanently etched into his face.

I slide my hand back into his grip and lean onto the raft just as he is.

I look up into the sky and see that the stars have begun to fade. I bury my head into the crook of Jack's shoulder and await the sunrise.

It saddens me to think that it'll be our last; and yet my smile never leaves my face.

For as surely as the sea will always claim mankind's ships, and for as long as the stars burn in the sky, we will now always be together.


End file.
